Manchester City put one hand on the Premier League trophy after Yaya Toure's double against Newcastle at St James' Park.

Manchester City put one hand on the Premier League trophy after Yaya Toure's double against Newcastle at St James' Park.

Toure broke the deadlock by curling a precise effort into the bottom corner after 70 minutes, and he doubled the lead after a counter attack after 89 minutes.

The Blues are ahead of title rivals Manchester United by virtue of a goal difference eight superior to the Reds, who beat Swansea 2-0 in the late kick-off. City play QPR at home in their remaining game while United travel to Sunderland.

Legends in making

When they bring out the definitive book of City legends, Yaya Toure just might be the cover boy.

For when it needed class, when it needed composure, when it needed precision and panache, he was the man who stepped forward.

He did it in the FA Cup semi-final last season, and again in the final, two games which were massively influential in getting City to this point in their evolution.

And just when it seemed that City’s title bold challenge might falter on a day of nerves and pressure at St James’ Park, he did it once again, with two priceless goals.

Manager Roberto Mancini deserves plenty of credit, for it was his tactical switch which brought the goal.

City had lacked punch and penetration despite having most of the possession, with things too tight for Carlos Tevez, Sergio Aguero and Samir Nasri.

So the boss brought on Nigel de Jong and shoved Yaya forwards, something he has done to good effect many times before – but never with an impact which could be as far-reaching as this.

But the main credit goes to the whole team, who went to Newcastle for a tough, tough match and proved that they are worthy champions.

There was little of style on display, but the substance was there by the mountain.

This is a team which deserves that title and this performance underlined that.

The win had the 3,200 travelling City fans in ecstasy, and the spirit of ’68, when the Blues won on the same ground to clinch their last league title, was everywhere.

Joe Mercer and Malcolm Allison would have sent their team out with the same attacking intent, and a belief that they would prevail as they were simply better.

Unchanged

Mancini went with an unchanged team, despite some thinking he may just go for the added security of de Jong in midfield from the start.

It was the right thing to do in a game City needed to win, and was also the action of a manager with confidence in his team, by way of contrast to the anxiety with which Sir Alex Ferguson’s team selection was riven at the Etihad Stadium last week.

The general feeling was that this was possibly the hardest game City could have had for the penultimate match of a tense, tight title race.

Newcastle had won seven out of eight going into the game, were playing in front of their passionate support for the last time this season and came into the game on the back of an amazing 2-0 win at Chelsea four days earlier.

Just to crank up the emotion a few more notches, they unveiled a statue of Sir Bobby Robson at the Gallowgate End before the game.

He was the last man to lead the Toon into the Champions League, and they knew a win would set them up for another foray into the competition.

As much as the odds fan be stacked against a team which is the best in the league, they were stacked against City.

It was a frenetic, tense opening, but City settled first and began to find their fluent passing rhythm.

One enormous boost in those early stages was that David Silva looked like a man back in form – his touch was back, he was getting on the ball and making things happen, and he was popping up in dangerous positions all around the Newcastle box.

When Samir Nasri picked out one of those darting runs, Silva fired off a shot which keeper Tim Krul was forced to beat away.

But on the downside for City, Sergio Aguero had a curiously nervous first half. Silva fed him with the kind of half-chance he loves, but he turned and shot tamely into Krul’s hands. It was a shame the shot didn’t have a little more venom as Carlos Tevez was on hand to snap up any rebounds.

Newcastle weren’t going to put up with being dominated for long, and when they stepped it up, they also switched up the volume inside the stadium.

For all that City dominated possession, Newcastle had their best chance of the half on 34 minutes, one which proved again what a huge figure Joe Hart has been for the Blues this season.

Jonas Gutierrez escaped from Pablo Zabaleta on the left and when his cross reached Ba, Clichy got in a block. But that simply span the ball into the path of Ben Arfa, and his shot had to be brilliantly beaten away by the England stopper.

Ba headed over from Ben Arfa’s cross as the Toon purple patch continued, but City came within an ace of taking the lead four minutes before the break.

Silva was again the architect as he dashed to the by-line and pulled the ball back. Gareth Barry was lurking, and when his first shot was blocked he fired in a more accurate one only to see Davide Santon positioned on the line to block before Newcastle scrambled it clear.

City looked ragged up front at the start of the second half, nothing coming off for Aguero or Tevez, and Mancini acted by bringing on Nigel de Jong with half an hour to go.

That meant Yaya Toure was pushed up to give an extra bit of power in attacking positions, and what a move that proved to be.

Edin Dzeko also came on for the tiring Tevez, and he played a part in a slick build-up to the City goal on 70 minutes.

Yaya played a neat one-two with Aguero and then casually bent his shot into the far corner. It was exquisite, it was class and it was Yaya all over, quality disguised by seeming nonchalance.

Aguero should have wrapped it up when Silva’s pass over the top set him free, but his attempt at precision sent the shot inches past the post.

Yaya also spurned a second as he raced clear and slipped, but he touched the ball to Aguero, his shot was deflected over the bar, much to the agony of the City fans perched high above that goal.

But there was defending to be done, and sub Micah Richards got in a great block on Shola Ameobi’s shot.

The Blues countered from the corner through Aguero, with Nigel de Jong and Clichy involved, and when the left back threaded a pass to Yaya, he flipped in the second.

The City fans sang, loud and heartily “We’re gonna win the league” and this time they meant it, no soul-searching or doubt.

Newcastle wouldn’t lie down, and Hart pulled off another great save from Ba as City recorded another vital win.
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